Land Cover Changes Around Términos Lagoon, Mexico

Green sediments, likely mixed with phytoplankton growth, spill out of the Términos Lagoon and line the western coast of the Yucatán Peninsula. The Términos Lagoon ecosystem is the largest fluvial-lagoon estuarine system in the country and one of the most important reserves of coastal flora and fauna in Mexico.

Satellite image analysis has shown that land cover changes in the area since the mid 1970s include extensive losses of tropical forest and mangroves, while urban areas and induced grassland increased considerably.

According to scientists, in 2001 more than half of the ecosystem area showed changes from its original land cover, and a third part of it was deteriorated. The main causes of deforestation were both the increase in grassland and the growth of urban areas. However, deforestation was attenuated by natural reforestation and plant canopy recovery.